One person was left dead and several others injured in an incident at Six Flags Over Georgia. Now, witnesses have shared horrifying details about what happened when a man, sitting next to a child, was thrown out of a roller coaster.
One person has died, and several others have been injured following an incident at Six Flags Over Georgia in Mableton, Georgia, where riders were evacuated from a roller coaster. The incident happened shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday, October 12, police said.
Authorities confirmed that one visitor had died and several others were injured. However, officials have not yet released further details about what happened or identified the person who died.
The park’s Goliath roller coaster was seen coming to a stop, with some riders still high above the ground. Footage captured by a local news helicopter showed people being helped off the ride, with riders being evacuated four at a time.
The Cobb County Police Department said its Major Crimes Unit is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Speaking with NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta, witnesses said they saw a man fall from the Goliath roller coaster.
Two others said they saw him strike parts of the ride before hitting the ground.
“He fell and hit the car three different times,” a witness told WXIA.
Another rider, Logan Conner, who was on the ride with his fiancée, saw how the man came out of his seat. He recalled, “The man started levitating in the air sideways. We made direct eye contact with him.”
Witnesses describe horrifying moment when man was killed on Six Flags roller coaster
A man riding the train directly behind the one involved in the Goliath rollercoaster accident told 11Alive, “We were ascending up, and that’s when we heard a scream. Then we look down, and we see people running and panicking.”
“We were obviously concerned. We saw all the ambulances come; we saw everyone run towards our rollercoaster and also evacuating everyone else,” he continued. “The worst part was that we were just up there for an hour with no news, no update, no nothing. We just saw everyone running out of the park.”
Another witness said the man who fell and died sat next to a child. In a statement, Six Flags Over Georgia said it was deeply saddened by the tragedy.
“We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest’s family, friends, and loved ones,” a park spokesperson said in a statement.
Six Flags release statement
The company also confirmed that it was cooperating fully with local authorities as the investigation continues. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, the park said it would not be sharing any additional details at this time.
A Six Flags spokesperson said Monday night that the company had temporarily closed similar roller coasters at several other North American parks “out of an abundance of caution,” per NBC.
The affected rides include Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island.
The closures come after Six Flags was involved in multiple lawsuits in September when riders claimed to have suffered brain injuries on the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.
X2 has been closed since July 12. The day after, attorney Christopher Bulone said one of his clients had suffered a catastrophic brain injury while riding the coaster. On September 29, Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding announced that the ride would be permanently retired, saying it was “the right thing to do.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the man who was killed and all those affected by this tragedy.
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